Controversial Questions about Islam

Controversial Questions about Islam and Comments
assigned severe punishments for them, but it also made it clear
that these punishments should not be applied without strong or
unchallengeable evidence, according to strict rules. On the other
hand, Islam is not the first to implement such laws, because many of
these laws are actually part of the Jewish and Christian laws as well.
Islam in general sets some basic rules and limits, which should
not be tampered with. At the same time, it provides, within set
boundaries, enough room to implement judgments that are results
of interactions between the major sources of Islamic law and the
careful diagnosis of reality.
Do Some Islamic Countries Enforce Extreme Punishments?
In fact, an Islamic government, as any other government, has
to enforce the law that its people, or the majority of them, have
chosen. If the people of any Islamic country have chosen Islam as
a complete package of laws, then the government has no choice but
to enforce the package. Furthermore, the degree of severity here
should not be measured by: (a) the opinion of a person regardless
of whether he knows Islam or not, or whether he has conservative
or liberal values. (b) Applications of Muslim countries. Rather, it
should be measured by the related texts in the Holy Quraan and
the Prophetic traditions and what the knowledgeable jurists deduce
from them.
Reality says that the application of today’s Muslim governments
in relation to Islamic law is lenient compared to the application of
the Law during the time of the Prophet and the Guided Caliphs, or
even the following generation. This is so, perhaps, because modern
governments are aware of the circumstances of the life of today,
where isolation is impossible and the temptation to violate Islamic
teachings is great. Therefore, the Government is obliged to do its best
to balance between the required degrees of firmness and avoidance
of being a cause for driving Muslims away from Islam completely.
In general, we notice that “punishment” In Islam is not meant to
be a kind of revenge, but is means of discipline, or a deterrent to
those who, would otherwise easily commit the crime. Punishments
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